Gender-specific insights on parenting children with rare diseases through multiple mediation analyses within the...

While the double ABCX model has been evaluated in various contexts, large-scale studies on gender among parents of children with rare diseases remain scarce.

To examine the applicability of the double ABCX model within a large-scale sample of mothers and fathers of children diagnosed with rare diseases.

The potential predictors of parental mental health in a multicenter study of n = 668 mothers and n = 461 fathers of children with rare diseases were investigated. Factors contributing to parental adaptation (GAD-7 and PHQ-9) within the double ABCX model were investigated cross-sectionally using multiple mediation modeling.

In mothers, relevant associations were found among stressor pile-up, social support, parental relationships, coping, stress, and mental health. Similar relevant associations were observed in fathers, except for coping. For mothers, the association between stressor pile-up and symptoms of anxiety was fully mediated by coping and stress. In contrast, the association with symptoms of depression was fully mediated by social support, coping, and stress. For fathers, the association between stressor pile-up and symptoms of anxiety as well as depression was complementary mediated through stress.

Our findings contribute to the existing literature by illuminating gender-specific differences in parental symptoms of anxiety and depression, suggesting that tailored emotion regulation programs could effectively alleviate these issues. By emphasizing these dynamics, we highlight the importance of personalized approaches in addressing the unique challenges faced by parents of different genders.